Amid intense debate on 'gay' rights in state and local governments throughout the U.S., the U.N. Commission on Human Rights is preparing to vote on a resolution calling on all countries "to promote and protect the human rights of all persons regardless of their sexual orientation."
The resolution is "a historic opportunity to advance [homosexual] issues in international human-rights law," said the San Francisco-based International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, or IGLHRC.
A vote on the measure, sponsored by Brazil, is expected today before the 53-member commission, which is chaired this year by Libya.
Pakistan distributed a memo to commission members on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, which stated the "resolution directly contradicts the tenets of Islam and other religions," and its approval would be "a direct insult to the 1.2 billion Muslims around the...